


No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service

by ruxian



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Attempted Kidnapping, Clubbing, Dancing, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fanservice, Fluff and Humor, Future Fic, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, M/M, Undercover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 09:41:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15070412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruxian/pseuds/ruxian
Summary: When a serial killer starts targeting supernatural couples in Beacon Hills, Liam and Theo go undercover at Sinema to try and draw him out.What could possibly go wrong?(Everything. Everything could go wrong. Liam hates this plan so fucking much.)





	No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service

**Author's Note:**

> dedicated to my dear friends maya and lauren. i adore you both, and i blame this on you for encouraging me.

Personally, Liam thinks this is a horrible idea. 

A stupid, idiotic, dumbass, terrible, very bad, no good, horrible idea. 

But it’s also the only idea they have. 

“Seriously, how do things like this keep happening? I mean… a serial killer that targets supernatural couples? C’mon.” He gripes, leaning over the island in Scott’s kitchen. 

“I know it sounds ridiculous, but four couples went missing just last week, with their bodies turning up days after they disappeared.” Scott explains. He looks just as annoyed with the concept as Liam is. “We need to catch this guy, now, before he kills again.” 

“So… the general idea is for Theo and I to pretend to be a couple at Sinema, let ourselves be caught by a _serial killer_ , and then have you and Stiles come save us before he kills us? Sounds great.” 

“I know it’s not the best plan, but Stiles and I will be monitoring you and the exits the entire time. The Sheriff and Parrish will be on standby too; they’ll be in the parking lot dressed in plain clothes, sitting in an unmarked car.” Scott assures. It did nothing to make him feel better about this stupid plan. 

“Yeah, but… do I have to pretend to be with _Theo?_ ” 

“I’m standing right here, you know.” Theo mutters from beside him.

Scott rolls his eyes at them both. 

“Because he seems to have a… _preference_ for same-sex couples.” Scott explains. 

“Oh goodie, a homophobic nazi serial killer.” Liam sighs, rubbing his temples in frustration. “Why can’t you and Stiles do this then?” 

“Because every single victim was supernatural.” Stiles pipes up, sliding over to stand next to Scott. “Believe me, if I could do this with Scotty, I would, I would get out there and have the time of my life and we’d probably make out a little,”

“Stiles.” Scott says with a sigh. Stiles ignores him. 

“But he doesn’t target humans at all. Isaac and Derek are also out since they’re who-knows-where doing who-knows-what with Argent, and I’m sure Isaac will be kicking himself for missing the opportunity to dance with Scott, which is the only sense of joy I will get from this situation.” 

“Stiles!” Scott exclaims, face turning red. Again, Stiles ignores him. 

“So, instead you and Hellboy over there get to dance your hearts out, as gross as that may be.” Scott bangs his head on the countertop. 

“This is the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard.” Liam announces after a moment. “And we’ve had a lot of stupid ideas.” 

“Just… think of it like when I faked my death to draw out the Benefactor.” Scott says, obviously trying to be optimistic. 

“...That plan didn’t work,” He says, squinting over at his alpha. “Like, at all.”

“I’ll have to agree with the runt here, Scotty,” Stiles stage whispers. Liam glares at him for the runt comment. “That is quite possibly the worst example you could have chosen.”

“Do you have any better ideas?” Scott says, sounding very much like all he wants to do is take a nap. 

“...Not particularly, no.” Stiles concedes, hands on his hips as he bites his lower lip. 

“Then we’re doing this.” Scott says, though he doesn’t sound particularly excited about the idea either. 

Liam groans. 

Has he mentioned that he hates this plan?

. . .

Now that he was actually in Sinema, dressed in his tightest black t-shirt and jeans as per Stiles’ orders, somehow the plan seems even worse. 

He didn’t know that was possible, but apparently it is. 

Having only been in the club a handful of times, he forgot how loud and… smelly it could be. Between the booze, booming bass, flashing lights, sweat, and… other bodily odors, it could get to be a bit overwhelming for his sensitive senses. 

Theo seemed to be in agreement with him, if the grimace on his face was any indication. 

“People come here for fun?” Theo asks, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Mason and Corey like it here.”

“Mason and Corey like shirtless guys wearing booty-shorts.”

“...Fair point.” 

“Do you?” Theo asks, wearing one of his signature smirks, the one that makes Liam want to punch him in the mouth and break several of his teeth. 

“Do I what?” He asks hesitantly. 

“Like shirtless guys wearing booty-shorts?” The smirk got bigger. 

Yeah, he wants to punch Theo in the mouth. But, he’s been around Theo long enough to know how to play along. 

“Shirtless I like, but I could do without the booty-shorts.” He says with a shrug, as if it’s not the first time he’s ever admitted to being anything but straight. 

He doesn’t quite know what the fuck his sexuality is, but he certainly knows he can appreciate a shirtless guy. 

Okay, maybe a bit more than just appreciate, but no one needs to know that.

It’s the truth, and he knows Theo knows it too by the way the smirk on his face grows into a wolfish grin. 

“Noted.” 

“Not that I’m not thrilled to learn that Liam is part of the Not-Straight club, welcome,” Stiles interrupts from behind them with a clap on his shoulder, somehow sounding both proud and exasperated at the same time. “But we do actually have a plan to execute here.” 

“Right, uh, what exactly are we doing?” He asks, trying to fight back the blush spreading across his cheeks as he turns to face Scott and Stiles. 

If only Theo would wipe that stupid grin off his face. 

“Stiles is going to be staying at the front entrance, keeping us updated on who comes in and out,” Scott explains. “I’ll be at the bar to keep an eye on you two. Sheriff and Parrish are positioned outside in the parking lot. Keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, okay?” 

“And even though the idea disgusts me down to the bone,” Stiles adds, pointing at both of them with a vaguely nauseated look on his face. Liam doesn’t blame him. “You two are supposed to be a _couple_ , okay? So you really gotta sell it.” 

“We know what this guy looks like?” Theo asks, casually draping an arm over his shoulders and pulling him close. He doesn’t need to look at the chimera’s face to know what his expression is. 

Stiles really looks like he’s gonna throw up now.

“No, unfortunately,” Scott says, thankfully not acknowledging the display Theo was putting on. “We _do_ have a vague description from eyewitnesses and security footage, though.”

“The guy is apparently around six feet, skinny, white, and has dark heavy facial hair. All of the previous victims went missing around this time according to security cameras, so we have to hope he’ll hit again tonight.” Stiles explains. 

“That’s all we’ve got to go on, so _be. Careful._ ” Scott implores, eyes flicking between them in concern. Liam nods, tugging just a bit at the mental pack bonds to assure him. Scott smiles in return, and suddenly he feels just a bit better. 

“You got it, Boss.” Theo says with a mock salute. “Ready to dance, Little Wolf?” 

Liam really, _really_ wants to punch Theo in the face.

“First of all, don’t call me that,” he growls out, glaring in full force at Theo. If only he could wipe that _stupid fucking smirk_ off his face. “I’m literally two inches shorter than you.”

“Two inches can make a lot of difference if you know how to u–”

_“Second of all!”_ He practically shouts, because no, he does not want to know how that sentence ends, thank you. “I don’t even know how to dance, this is a terrible idea.” 

Theo has the nerve to laugh at him. 

The chimera bends down to speak directly into his ear, and it takes all of his self control not to suplex him into the bar. 

“Just let the music guide you…” Theo whispers, and Liam can _hear_ the smirk in his voice, his breath hot on the shell of his ear. It sends an involuntary shiver down his spine. 

It’s infuriating. 

“Okay, you two are actually disgusting; please get out of my sight, _immediately_ , before I puke.” Stiles says, forcibly turning them both around and shoving them into the crowd with a grimace on his face. 

“Keep an eye out!” Scott shouts after them, sounding far too amused for Liam’s liking.

“This isn’t going to end well, is it?” Stiles asks.

Scott snorts a laugh. “Nope.” 

“Glad we’re on the same page.” 

Liam does his best to ignore them both. 

It isn’t hard, considering Theo is currently manhandling him into the middle of the dancefloor. Once again, he thinks about what a horrible, _horrible_ idea this is. 

“C’mon Liam, just relax and let the music take you.” Theo teases, lips pulled up in a smirk as he starts to move along to the beat. 

Right, just let the music take him. Relax. 

Just let the music guide him, while he pretends Theo is his boyfriend. 

Easy. 

(He hates this plan so fucking much.)

Nonetheless, he tries to relax his nerves, swaying from side to side in what could possibly be the most awkward way possible. It’s hard to do much else with how out of place and uncomfortable he feels. He’s standing face to face with Theo; close, but not touching, and certainly not looking him in the eye. 

Theo seems much more at ease than he is, moving his body in a far more relaxed way. He actually looks like he’s enjoying himself, the dick. 

“If you want this to work, you have to actually look like you like me, you know.” Theo says after a few minutes of stilted bouncing around in a circle. He looks and sounds amused, like anything about this situation is funny at all. 

“Well, I _don’t_ like you, that’s the problem.” He jabs back, glaring at the chimera. 

He doesn’t know what’s giving him a bigger headache: the atmosphere or Theo.

“I thought you not knowing how to dance was the problem?” Theo asks, eyebrow raised in a challenge. 

“Okay, so there are multiple problems,” He gripes, shaking his hands out of frustration. “And all of them add up into this being a _terrible_ idea.” 

“Maybe…” Theo says softly, a grin coming to his face and Liam knew down to his bones that could only mean something bad for him. “But I can at least show you how to dance.” 

Without giving Liam a chance to protest, Theo grabs him by the waist and pulls him nearly flush against his body. He stumbles and flails slightly in surprise, unsure of where to put his hands until he finally settles on Theo’s shoulders, telling himself it’s just to regain his balance. Both of the chimera’s hands are holding him by his hips now, grip firm but gentle enough that he could break free if he wanted. 

He doesn’t. 

“Put your hands on my chest,” Theo instructs, and even though Liam was using all of his willpower to fight off a raging blush, he does as told, not daring to look him in the eye as he slowly slides his hands down until they’re resting on his chest. “And follow my hands with your hips.” Theo starts guiding him, gently pushing his hips to the left, then right, and back again, slowly picking up pace until he’s officially swaying along with the music. “Not so bad, right?” 

“Not really,” He agrees, relaxing more and more until Theo stops guiding him completely, instead just resting his hands on his hips. “I still can’t believe I’m doing this with _you_ though.” 

“Would you rather be dancing with Scott?” Theo asks, raising his left eyebrow. 

He quickly shakes his head, jokingly gagging at the idea. “Ew, no! That’d be like dancing with my Dad, gross.”

“That’s what I thought.” Theo chuckles, and he can’t help but grin back in response. 

It’s easier to pretend to be Theo’s boyfriend than he thought it would be, but he doesn’t want to think about why. The more they dance, bass booming low and vibrating in his ribcage, the more at ease he feels. His hands slowly start roaming up, fingertips tracing along the tendons in Theo’s neck, along the steady pulse on the side of his throat and his Adam’s Apple. One hand stays there, thumb resting over the steady _‘thump-thump’_ of Theo’s heartbeat, while other gently cups the left side of Theo’s jaw. It’s grounding in a way that makes his head spin, but at least he knows he’s pulling off his part of the plan. 

(He doesn’t have to look over to Stiles to know he’s retching. He doesn’t blame him in the slightest.) 

There’s a smirk on Theo’s face as he talks. “Look at you, getting into it and enjoying yourself...” His hands are roaming too, the Chimera’s right hand dangerously close to the hemline of Liam’s shirt, while his left keeps inching lower and lower and– “You look absolutely beautiful…” 

Red heat floods to Liam’s cheeks, and suddenly he’s overly grateful to the strobe and neon lights washing him out. 

Damn Theo. Damn Theo and his ability to keep his pulse steady when he says such ridiculous things straight back to Hell. 

(He knows there’s nothing straight about this situation, okay? He Knows.)

The Chimera looks far too earnest, too into the part of his boyfriend. His lips are parted, pulled up gently at the corners as he dances, like the dick _knows_ exactly what he’s doing to him. 

But two could play at this game. 

He doesn’t let himself think, just act, as he steps back out of Theo’s arms. He looks confused for a moment, pauses in his dancing, and that’s all he needs. 

“What’re y–”

Liam cuts him off with his hands on the collar of Theo’s too-tight white v-neck. He takes a moment to look up, meeting Theo’s eyes as the lights reflect off of the back of his pupils, smirking in delight in the confused furrow in his brow. 

The bass is loud and pounding as he rips the shirt straight down the middle, exposing Theo’s torso. 

It’s a nice torso, he’ll admit. A very nice torso. That he needs to stop staring at. Right now. 

“I told you: I like shirtless guys.” He says simply, like his cheeks aren’t burning _(did he really just do that ohmygodohmygodholyfu–)_ , pulling the scraps of fabric off of Theo’s arms and tossing them onto the floor. It’s impossible not to grin at the shocked expression on Theo’s face. 

Theo chokes out a laugh, “I liked this shirt, you know.” He shakes his head in a little bit of awe, but he doesn’t seem mad. 

“Consider it payback, ” He jokes, pulling Theo in close before he could get a chance to do so himself. “Y’know, for my shirt back at the zoo.”

“That was almost two years ago, Liam.” Theo says with an eye-roll, but puts his hands back on his body without further complaint. 

This time the fingers on Theo’s right hand presses into his waist, rumpling the fabric of his shirt with their grip, while the left went up to cup his cheek. He could feel the tips of Theo’s fingers bury themselves in his long hair, feel his nails gently scratch at his scalp, and he couldn’t help but close his eyes and lean into the touch. 

“C’mon, Liam, touch me…” Theo whispers, somehow cutting through the loud music and cheering surrounding them. “What’s the point of having me shirtless if you don’t enjoy it?” 

“I hate you.” He whispers back, just as quiet. 

When he opens his eyes, their noses are just a breath apart, and Theo’s eyes are looking straight into his, like he’s staring into his soul. Maybe he is. 

“No, you don’t.” 

No, he doesn’t. 

But he doesn’t want to think about that, so he reaches out and places his hands on Theo’s chest, trying to ignore the way the colored lights danced along with them on his skin, highlighting and contouring every inch. 

Okay, maybe he failed in that task, but who cares? He supposed to be Theo’s boyfriend here, he’s allowed to look. And enjoy. Greatly enjoy. 

“Not that I’m not _loving_ the show here,” Stiles’ loud disgusted voice cuts in, making them both flinch out of whatever trance this is, “But it looks like our guy just walked in.” 

They turn their heads in sync towards the door, quickly honing in on the suspect. He matches the description despite the baseball cap on his head, but he’s not doing anything but linger around the DJ’s booth. 

“You guys gotta make yourselves a target, okay?” Scott says, “Flash your eyes, make a show, whatever it takes to draw him to you.” 

“Sir yes sir.” Theo replies, turning back to him with that same smirk from earlier tugging on his lips. 

A pit of anxiety grows in Liam’s stomach because that smirk can only mean trouble, but he ignores it. 

Or, he tries to, but then Theo’s hands are spinning him around, holding him firm and steady. His back is now flush against Theo’s chest, the Chimera a solid wall of muscle behind him, arms locked in a vice grip around his torso.

He tilts his head back, a growl of annoyance building in his throat (he does _not_ enjoy being manhandled, thank you very much), only for it to die when met with Theo’s electric blue eyes. 

“Let’s put on a show.” 

Theo’s voice is low, low like the bass and the lights surrounding them. Low like the agreeing rumble in his chest, low like the vibrations rattling through them from the dancefloor. It makes him dizzy. 

The iron grip around him eases, and then Theo’s hands are moving, slow, barely even grazing the skin on his arms until they settle back on his hips, gently guiding him back into their rhythm. Theo hooks his chin over his left shoulder, breath hot under his ear, bangs brushing against his cheek. He brings his left arm up to cup the back of Theo’s head, curling his fingers into the Chimera’s long hair. 

Tilting his head to look Theo in the eyes, he finds that same burning blue gaze, but this time he lets gold flood into his own eyes. Theo grips his hips a little bit tighter. His head is spinning.

Quickly, Liam does a scan of the crowd, finding the creep in a baseball cap still hanging around the DJ’s booth. He’s staring back at him. 

Good. 

He feels Theo’s right hand drift, slowly making its way over to the hem of his shirt. Snapping his eyes back to Theo, he lets out a small warning growl, just barely baring his teeth. The dick just smirks back at him, because of course he does. It’s Theo; he’s not quite sure what he was expecting. 

Fingers crawl up under his shirt, tracing up along his stomach until Theo settles his hand, pressing down warm and firm just under his belly-button. His breath stutters a bit in shock, muscles twitching from the touch. 

Yeah, they’re supposed to be playing a couple, but this is far more intimate than he thought they would ever get. They barely even touch in their day to day lives if they aren’t sparring. It’s weird, but the look in Theo’s eyes is one of a challenge, eyebrow raised and everything, and that’s something he’ll never back down to. 

So, he grabs Theo’s wrist, squeezing tight and holding him there. 

Theo looks surprised for a split second, but a wolfish grin quickly spreads across his face. He gets pulled in a bit closer to Theo’s body, and it feels like a solid wall is behind him. There might as well be, honestly. Theo has him in a vice grip and doesn’t seem to want to let go anytime soon. 

Which is good, because Liam is incredibly dizzy. 

Too dizzy. 

He stumbles a bit out of their rhythm, and it feels like Theo is the only thing that kept him from falling over. 

His head hurts. 

“Liam? You good?” Theo doesn’t sound so good. 

“Do you…” He slurs, clutching onto Theo just a bit tighter to steady himself. His tongue feels heavy. “Do you feel that?” 

“If you mean like the room is spinning and I have a spike going through my head, then yes.” Theo grumbles, stumbling a bit behind him. 

“Something’s not right.” Scott’s voice comes in, sounding tired and weary, and when Liam looks over he can see him leaning a bit on Stiles. They’re both blurry. “Do you guys smell anything? Wolfsbane maybe?” 

“No…” Theo says, gently turning him back around so it’s easier to cling onto him. “I don’t smell anything but sweat and booze.” 

“This is like that time with the… the assassins,” He stutters, frowning as he tries to figure out what’s going on. How did that end?

He remembers drinking, a lot, but he hasn’t even had any water for a few hours, and neither have Scott and Theo. They can’t get even drunk, anyway. But he feels it. He feels the same way he did when he and Mason were thirteen and raided his Dad’s liquor cabinet, and grossly overestimated how much was too much. Drunk. 

He felt drunk. Just like he did at the bonfire. 

Suddenly it clicks. 

“Scott,” He says, squeezing his eyes shut and licking his lips as he tries to get his brain to focus. Theo holds him steady when he stumbles again. “Scott it’s the music. It’s like the bonfire, you need to turn off the mu–”

“You boys look like you’ve had a little too much to drink.” A gravelly southern voice says from behind him, and when Liam turns his head he finds himself looking at their creep. He grips Theo just a tiny bit harder. 

“We’re okay, just a little lightheaded.” Theo says, a little bit louder than necessary so the human could hear him over the music and crowd. Liam knows he’s plastering on that smile of his, the one that makes anyone who talks to him feel at ease. 

“Why don’t I take you boys home? My car’s right outside, free of charge.” For all intents and purposes, the man seems kind, but he knows better. 

Every single one of his instincts are on high alert, trying to fight through the haze coating his brain, to filter through the music pounding in his head. Theo’s arms squeeze tight around him; at least the feeling is mutual. 

“Oh, we wouldn’t want to bother–” 

“Nonsense!” The man says, smilingly brightly at them with his arms wide open. It makes him nauseous. “I’d feel much better knowing you two got home safe, rather than leaving you to your own devices. There are some sketchy people in this town.” 

“If you’re sure…” Theo says, playing his role perfectly as he maneuvers him so they’re standing side-by-side. Liam clings onto Theo’s waist to keep from falling over, and it seems that Theo is doing the same. 

“Of course! Come along now, I gotcha…” The man says, still smiling warmly as he starts guiding them to the door. 

Liam’s glad he doesn’t have the energy to snap at the man for touching him and blow their cover.

“Alright guys, I’m gonna get the music off as soon as I can, okay? My dad and Parrish are ready to follow you outside. Keep it up.” Stiles says, just barely loud enough for them to hear. It’s the only thing that even slightly calms his nerves.

“My name is Rob, by the way.” Rob says, opening the door for them as they step through. 

He sounds so friendly and gentle, it’s enough to make Liam’s skin crawl. If he didn’t know what was going on, was disoriented and sick in a way he thought was impossible, he might have just fallen for this man’s act. He certainly doesn’t blame any of his victims for falling for it. 

Rage boils just under his skin, a snarl building in his chest. It’s disgusting what this man has done. He wants to tear him limb from limb from li–

Theo’s nails dig into his waist. 

Just barely, not even enough to draw a drop of blood, but enough to ground him back into the moment. He has to keep it together. Just long enough for the Sheriff to arrest him. 

He gives Theo a squeeze back as thanks. 

“I think I got a shirt in my backseat that you can use too, kid. Might be a bit small on ya, but it’s better than nothing!” Rob says as he leads them to a large black van. “Wouldn’t want ya walkin’ around shirtless, ya know?” The man chuckles with a smile full of teeth. It’s disgusting. 

“I’d appreciate it.” Theo says with a soft smile, though it’s a bit too tight to Liam’s eyes. “Someone here got a bit too excited.” Rob chuckles at that. 

He knows when Theo’s putting on the charm. He knows what it looks like, knows how it works (knows what it’s like to fall for it). He knows Theo well enough to know when he’s absolutely fucking pissed. 

And right now, Theo is seething. 

They quickly stumble up to the van (Of course it’s a fucking van. Of course.), at least feeling slightly less dizzy now that they’re further away from the music. 

“Lemme grab that shirt for ya.” Rob says, walking over to the driver’s side door. 

Liam takes the opportunity to look around the parking lot, quickly finding the Sheriff and Parrish sitting in a silver SUV a few cars down. The Sheriff gives him a thumbs up, while Parrish is holding his head in his hands behind the wheel. It makes him feel a little bit better that even the Hellhound is affected. 

“Ah! Here we go!” Rob shouts, slamming the van’s door closed and making them both jump. “Just what I was lookin’ for.” 

When he looks over, it’s not a shirt he’s holding. 

It’s a gun. A small 9mm handgun, and friendly Rob is pointing it at them. 

Liam doesn’t bother to hold back his snarl this time. 

“Yeah, growl at me all ya want, Mutt. Get in the van.” Rob’s voice isn’t so nice anymore. 

“No.” Theo says through his teeth. They’re swaying in place. 

“I’ll even make it easier for ya,” Rob says, opening the doors for them while keeping the gun firmly in their direction. There are chains with cuffs attached to the walls. “Get. In.” 

Isn’t this where the Sheriff is supposed to step in? 

Still, not wanting to get shot on top of everything else, they slowly crawl into the back of the van, collapsing on the floor in a heap. It reeks of Wolfsbane, blood, and fear. The music is still so, so loud. 

Liam takes the moment to look over at the Sheriff, only to see him trying to pull Parrish from the driver’s seat. Of course their plan is failing. Of course it is. He’s stupid for thinking it would go any other way. 

It’s so loud. 

Theo keeps himself pressed hard against his side, closest to the door. He’s shielding him, he realizes. The thought makes his stomach jump. 

“I’ll never understand you _animals_ …” Rob says, stepping up into the van and grabbing the cuffs and Theo’s wrists. The Chimera snarls and snaps his teeth at the man, but he’s ignored, and the cuffs go on anyway. “You’re already something so abysmal, so disgusting and far away from man…” The man moves onto him now, snapping the cuffs onto his wrists with practiced ease. 

Oh, God they burn, _theyburntheyburn–_

“And then ya gotta be fags on top of it?” Rob shakes his head, like he’s disappointed in his kid for bringing home a bad grade. “It’s just better for everyone if I exterminate you all.” 

The horror of a man steps out of the van at that, locking them in the dark. 

_Itburnsitburnsitburnsitburnsit–_

“I want to kill him.” Theo seethes, and Liam can only picture the expression on his face because his eyes are squeezed shut from the pain. “I don’t care what Scott or Stiles says, I want to kill him.” 

He jerks his wrists a few times, but it only serves to break his skin. It makes it ten times worse. 

A pained whimper breaks from his throat. 

He knows what this pain is. He’s felt it before, back when he tried to help Scott break down the barrier at Eichen House. When Garrett stabbed him and threw him in a well. 

_Ithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithu–_

“Liam? Liam what’s wrong?” Theo sounds nervous. Theo’s never nervous.

The van’s in motion now. 

“M-Mountain Ash. The cuffs have Mountain Ash on them.” He forces out, curling in on himself. “Wolfsbane too, I think.” 

“Okay… Okay, it’ll be fine, alright, just breathe.” Theo orders, taking his hands and holding them tight. “Just breathe and focus. The Sheriff will come get us any second, okay?” 

“It hurts...” 

Theo seems to pause, and Liam realizes what those words might mean to him, but Theo’s talking before he can apologize. “I know, but I can’t take your pain right now, so you have to power through, okay? Just focus on me, Liam. C’mon, focus on me. Look at me, Liam.” 

It takes effort, but he manages to open his eyes enough to find Theo’s. 

The music stops. 

“Good, just keep looking at me, okay Liam? Just focus on me, not the cuffs, okay? Just me.” Theo’s staring into his soul again, he knows it. “I won’t let him hurt you.” 

His breathing is labored and his head is still swimming, but he manages to nod. It hurts a little less now. 

There are black veins on Theo’s hands.

“Theo… Theo, no, i-it’s okay–”

“I’m fine, Liam. Just breathe.” Theo doesn’t sound fine, but he does as told. 

Thankfully, he only has to look at Theo grimacing for a few more minutes, before the van is being pulled over and the doors swung open. 

Liam doesn’t want to think about the way he feels when Theo immediately shields him with his body. 

Luckily, it’s just Parrish. 

“You guys okay?” 

“Liam first; the cuffs have Wolfsbane.” Theo instructs before he can say a word, only releasing his grip once Parrish starts unlocking everything. 

It’s like a breath of fresh air once the metal comes off. It still hurts, and his wrists are raw, but it’s still so much better. 

In no time, Parrish has freed them both and led them off the van, gently leading them over to where Scott and Stiles are standing by the Jeep. 

Their kidnapper is in handcuffs, leaning against the SUV while the Sheriff looks for any hidden weapons. He doesn’t hesitate to bare his teeth at the man. 

Scott goes straight for him, pulling him into his arms and holding him close. His embrace is as warm and comforting as it always is. 

“You okay?” Scott asks once he pulls away. 

“Yeah, I-I think so. The cuffs had Wolfsbane on them, but I don’t think it got deep enough to do anything but cause pain.” He explains, trying to ignore how quiet his voice had gotten. “Theo helped with that.” 

Theo, who had been lingering behind him with his arms crossed, looks annoyed at being mentioned. 

“Shut up, Liam.” 

“No.”

He gets an eye roll in response, but he can see the way the corner of Theo’s mouth is twitching up like he wants to smile. He finds himself smiling at it. 

“Disgusting.” Stiles announces, grimacing at them. “You two absolutely disgust me. I’m glad I didn’t have to watch you makeout, or I might’ve actually puked. And did you really have to rip his shirt off? Is that not excessive? I mean seriously Liam, was that at all necessary? Did you really have to subject me to this?” 

Scott shakes his head at his best-friend, but takes off his hoodie and tosses it at Theo nonetheless. 

“Better?” Theo asks once he’s pulled it on. 

“Much. Now I won’t have to stare at the sun tomorrow morning.” 

He snorts at Stiles, but it’s good to have him around. He doesn’t get to see him in person as much anymore, normally FaceTime every Thursday night is the only way he gets to see his face, so he’ll take what he can get. Even if it’s just jokes at Theo’s expense. 

Theo himself doesn’t seem to mind, if the playful smirk on his face is anything to go by. 

“You okay Theo?” Scott asks.

“I’m good.” Theo assures. 

“Well, we’re ready to head out whenever you are. We should probably get Deaton to look at your wrists just in case.” Scott says.

Liam nods in agreement. “We’ll be there in a minute.”

Scott smiles and nods, dragging Stiles away by the elbow as he rants about DJ’s that don’t understand life-threatening situations. 

Theo raises an eyebrow at him. 

“Why do you want to hang back?” The Chimera asks.

“I just wanted to say thank you. For taking care of me. You…” He wants to word this right. “You helped. You made the pain manageable. You made tonight sort of fun. I mean, not the kidnapping part, that wasn’t fun, but I actually… _enjoyed_ dancing with you.” He hates that he’s blushing. 

Theo seems frozen, just for a few moments, but it's enough for Liam to know his words at least sunk into his brain. 

“So… I make a good fake boyfriend, huh?” Theo is grinning at him. 

And we’re back to square one: he wants to punch Theo in the face. 

“Nope. I take back everything I just said.”

“Oh, do you now?”

“Yes. I take it all back. I want you to know that you’re a terrible fake boyfriend and I hate you, very, very much.”

Theo chuckles, walking over to Scott and Stiles. “You don’t hate me, Little Wolf.”

No, he doesn’t.

**Author's Note:**

> come shout at me on tumblr! (@rux-ian) 
> 
> (i will come edit a link in when it's not 6 am, promise)


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